Spurs’ sin – they weren’t themselves

Give the Thunder credit. Every time the Spurs pulled closer, every time there might have been a crack in another team, the Thunder flexed.

And when James Harden stepped back with about 30 seconds left?

These are the moments that win championships.

But if Game 6 follows with something similar, the Spurs will have a sick feeling when they remember Monday. It wasn’t just that they lost, or that the Thunder kept responding.

The Spurs were unrecognizable from the team that won 20 in a row.

That they still had a chance will give them a reason to believe they can win in Oklahoma City. Manu Ginobili had about the same kind of 3-point look to tie that Harden had just seconds earlier, and that’s how close it was.

“Bottom line,” Ginobili said afterward, “every season we won the championship, we had situations like that, and every season we lost, we had those, too. So it happens.”

But it happened this time because the Spurs put themselves in this position. At home, facing the pivotal game of the series, they were nothing like the team that came together the last two months.

Only Ginobili and Stephen Jackson showed up in the first half. Everyone else — including Gregg Popovich — looked worse for it.

Tony Parker acted closer to 20 years old than 30. A Ginobili pass hit Tim Duncan in the face, which might be a first in their decade together. And the 10-man depth that had made the Spurs special was shortened both in minutes and in heart.

Before this three-game losing streak began, the Spurs seemed to get something from everyone. This time the Thunder did this; Daequan Cook, who didn’t even play in Game 4, was 3 of 3 for eight points.

Meanwhile, Gary Neal, as consistent a shooter as the Spurs had this season, went 0 for 6.

As for Danny Green: His stature has been so reduced that, with the first half over, he took what amounted to a practice shot. Russell Westbrook chose to block it.

Popovich’s shattered rotation added to the confusion, including a lineup in the second quarter that they had never used in the postseason. Then, Jackson was the tallest Spur.

But Popovich could be excused for starting Ginobili, because he needed him on the floor as often as possible. Stirring on his way to 34 points, Ginobili reminded everyone that he’s made for the biggest stage.

At halftime, Popovich prodded the rest. And led by a Ginobili 3-point streak, the Spurs came back to take the lead.

A key sequence came at the end of the third quarter, when Kawhi Leonard drove and scored but Nick Collison moved to take the charge.

Had Leonard scored, that would have pulled the Spurs within five points. Instead — and this is telling of how the Thunder kept responding — Kevin Durant finished the third with a 20-footer at the buzzer.

The Spurs would pull closer again, and the Thunder would pull away again. Harden’s four-point play with a Ginobili foul gave OKC a 13-point lead with 5:17 left.